Draco's Prejudice
by Janie-ohio
Summary: One afternoon, Harry finds Draco having a philosophical crisis after watching Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Before he can help him, Harry has to figure out what the problem could possibly be. A short, fluffy one-shot. Post-Hogwarts-EWE. Autumn 2010.


Original AN: I've been reading HP and P&P fanfiction for years now, but I never felt strongly enough that I had a story to tell. Recently, I was helping someone brainstorm for a Drarry story they were working on, and this scene came to mind. I could see it so vividly, and when the other writer chose not to use it, it wouldn't leave my mind. So here it is, with my favourite guys watching my favourite movie. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

If reading as part of series_ That's Life Together_, this story takes place in Fall 2010.

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**Draco's Prejudice**

_"I might as well enquire," replied she, "why, with so evident a design of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if I was uncivil?" -Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice_

It had been a long afternoon. Harry dropped his cloak over the side of the chair as he came in the front entryway of the home that he had shared with Draco for the past few years. The house was oddly silent. He expected the soft sound of music from the potion's lab downstairs, where Draco had been planning on spending the day working. Obviously, his plans had changed, as he hated working in the lab in silence. Harry continued down the hall, checking the kitchen and rolling his eyes at the typical remnants of a snack left on the counter, but no other sign of recent use.

As he made himself a cup of tea, he slowly began to relax. He had spent a good deal of his day helping Molly and Arthur update two of the bedrooms at the Burrow for the grandchildren they often had over. It was easy enough work, but it was tedious, and listening to Molly hint about more children coming from him didn't help at all. He knew he wanted them eventually, but he and Draco had only been married a year and had only recently turned thirty. They had time and were in no great hurry. Though, with Teddy off to Hogwarts now, well, he had to admit that he did miss having a kid around.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he grabbed his mug and went back to searching for his husband. "Draco?" he called out, not really expecting a response, as he knew Draco found it "plebeian" to yell in the house. Harry grinned to himself at that thought, deciding to use that approach, as it might be the best way to get a reaction. He yelled out again. "Draco! I'm home! Where are you?"

A quiet murmur from the sitting room caught his attention. The telly was silent, though Harry couldn't see it from the doorway. He did know that Draco wouldn't be reading in here, as he preferred his special chair in the library. Curious as to what he'd find, Harry approached the back of the sofa when he heard a distinct grunt. Looking down, he found his husband curled up in the cushions with the cat snuggled into his chest snoring. Since the cat was a light sleeper, Draco must have been there for some time.

"Um, Draco?"

No response. Looking closely, Harry could see the Malfoy mask in place and sighed. This did not bode well.

"Hey, what's going on? I thought you were going to work downstairs today. Is everything OK?"

Another grunt. Interesting.

He looked up and realized that there was indeed something on the telly, but it had been paused. It had taken several months for Harry to get Draco used to the muggle technology, but he had finally embraced the entertainment options available with a big-screen television and DVD player. Harry sometimes found him indulging in a movie or talk show, but he knew his husband's real weakness was BBC mysteries and dramas. He couldn't seem to resist them, programming the cable box to record them regularly. The new Sherlock series was his current favourite, and Harry liked to tease him that it was because he identified with the main character. It amused Harry and made him a little proud, to see his traditional pure-blood husband enjoy this so thoroughly. But at this moment, it was not Sherlock on the screen but some period piece, and it was obvious that enjoyment was not the emotion on Draco's mind. Something was clearly bothering him, and Harry was determined to get it out of him.

"Er… Draco?"

Grunt.

"Fine. I'll figure it out myself. What are you watching anyway?"

Harry reached over and grabbed the remote, disrupting the cat and earning a disgruntled meow as it escaped. BBC again, Harry thought to himself with a chuckle, as the movie resumed. He watched a young woman in an empire waist dress cross the screen and recognized the movie as one Hermione had made him watch several years earlier. _Pride and Prejudice_, he remembered, with that completely fit Mr Darcy. Harry actually kind of liked this one, but he wasn't sure how it could have garnered this type of reaction from his husband.

"Seriously. What could possibly be bothering you about _Pride and Prejudice_? I would think this would be one you'd enjoy. There's dancing, romance, drama, sarcasm and comedy. You normally love this stuff. Talk to me."

The Malfoy mask was cracking. "She..."

"She who? Your mother? Pansy? Did someone stop by? Were you arguing with Ginny again?"

"No. She… the movie. I just…"

A tear slowly fell down the side of his cheek. Clearly, this was more than just a little upset at the movie. Draco only cried when he was overwhelmed and confused. But over a movie?

"All right, start from the beginning."

A huge sigh was released from his husband, and then a quiet sniffle. "Fine. I couldn't seem to make any headway on my work, this potion variation will just not come together. I decided I needed a break, so I thought, hey, I'll just watch a long movie. It was early, and I didn't know what time you'd be home. I figured this would keep my interest.

"Anyway, this was really good. And then… well. He proposed, Harry. She wasn't expecting it, and she didn't even really like him, but he proposed marriage and he poured his heart out to her, and she rejected him! What the hell is wrong with this movie? She was so mean to him, and all he did was tell her all the reasons he loved her, and how he could tell he loved her because all the reasons she shouldn't be worthy of him didn't matter! It was perfect. And she was so angry, and I just don't understand how people can like this movie! I can't watch anymore, and all I can keep thinking about is how she responded to him. Why, Harry? Why!?"

Harry just stared at his husband, completely bemused. First, he had been concerned something was very wrong and to find out it was all because of a scene in a movie gave him a sense of relief. But this was not just any scene, it was the infamous Darcy failed proposal. Draco was truly serious, though. He honestly could not see why Elizabeth Bennet would decline the proposal in such a manner. At another sniffle from the seat beside him, he stifled a laugh and decided he had to respond.

"Ah, first, you know the movie isn't over yet, right? There's another couple of hours left. Sorry to spoil it, but they _do_ get together. Maybe you should just finish it?"

"It's not that she said no, Harry. I understand she didn't know him well yet, and she's still blinded by her prejudice from Wickham. I get it. But what was so wrong with the proposal? It was completely romantic. He was 'ardently in love' with her. If you hadn't been the one to ask me to get married, my proposal to you might have been similar. I'm questioning everything I thought I knew about love and romance. Harry, stop laughing at me! This is not funny! What was wrong with this?"

Harry could not hold it in any longer, finally laughing out loud. How could Draco not see the insult in Mr Darcy's proposal? Harry could remember it, as Hermione had made him watch the scene three times. Darcy's assertion that his love for Elizabeth was against his own better judgement, and a marriage between them would be a reprehensible connection had infuriated Hermione, and she loved to cheer Lizzy on. That Draco could not see the insult, in truth would have said something similar, seemed ridiculous to Harry.

The mask began to fall back into place, and Harry realized that Draco was becoming annoyed at his response. He decided a change in tactics was in order.

"OK, let's watch it again, and we'll talk through it."

"No! I can't bear to. It's too embarrassing for me. Just… just… explain?" he finished, in a clipped tone.

"Let's see. All right. So yes, he says he ardently loves her, but then he follows it up by insulting her family, her connections, and her lack of wealth. On top of being insulting, it's clear that he doesn't truly know her yet."

"But that's ridiculous. Her family was uncouth, she didn't have any connections that would bring prestige to the family, and she had little to bring to the marriage. To love her despite all those things should show how serious he is about her!"

Harry finally began to understand. Draco might have changed since their childhood, but he was still raised to believe that class, money, and pedigree had more value. He no longer accepted these items as true, and Harry could see he was struggling to understand Elizabeth's point of view. How could he explain this to his husband who had come so far from the insulting ass he used to know, but was still influenced by his childhood prejudices?

"Draco, think about it. If you had tried to propose to me in the same way, I would have been pissed too. Would you have insulted the Weasleys, my familial connections, and my untraditional upbringing? Yes, once upon a time, before you knew me well, you most definitely would have. You wouldn't know that the Weasleys are so important to me because they were there for me when I needed a family. You wouldn't know that my sole remaining familial connections died before I was eighteen and that I still mourn them. You wouldn't know that I grew up in a cupboard under the stairs and that influences me every day of my life. You'd just diminish everything that makes me who I am, then claim that you loved me despite all that."

Draco was very quiet. He looked Harry in the eye, then he took his hands in his.

"Harry, you know I love you _because_ of those things, right? They make you who you are. Knowing each of those things makes me admire your strength and character."

Harry looked into his husband's eyes and smiled. "Right," he replied quietly. "I know. And back to Elizabeth and Darcy, I think you get it now. Yeah, he's out of line. Add to that, he spends weeks being an ass to her, and he assumes she'll just say yes because… why? Because he's rich? Because of course, she must love him back, as he's so wonderful? They need the opportunity to know each other better, without the misconceptions, and the shadow of her family. They both need to grow."

Harry smirked. "And THAT'S why there are another two hours to this movie. Come on, let's order a pizza and watch the rest together. It gets better, I promise."

Draco grinned, and leaned over and kissed Harry. It was sweet with a hint of passion, reminding them both of what prejudices they had overcome to be where they were. Bittersweet memories of unanswered handshakes, curses in bathrooms, and quiet discussions in Andromeda's hospital room years later all seemed a lifetime ago.

"All right. But I get pineapple on my half and no complaints. I need it to recover from my trauma."

"Trauma, indeed. All right, but you get the wine. And can I _please_ tell Hermione about this conversation? Pretty please!?"

As his husband started throwing pillows at him, Harry knew that the crisis was averted, and looked forward to the quiet evening with Darcy, Elizabeth, and Draco.

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_**A/N: This story is part of a series: That's Life Together. Links and more information on my Author Profile.**_


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